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I-10 Corridor Coalition

The Interstate-10 (I-10) Corridor Coalition is a voluntary coalition of four State Departments of Transportation (DOTs)—Arizona DOT (ADOT), California DOT (Caltrans), New Mexico DOT (NMDOT), and Texas DOT (TxDOT)—committed to multijurisdictional coordination along a busy corridor in the Southwestern United States.

ADOT, in coordination with the other three State DOTs, participated in a Pooled Fund Study in June 2016 to develop an inventory of the I-10 Corridor’s assets and estimate the potential for utilizing new technologies to improve freight movement along the corridor. After the study was completed, the organizations developed a draft Concept of Operations. On June 2, 2016, an I-10 Corridor Coalition Peer Exchange was held in Phoenix, AZ to foster better understand the necessary steps related to forming and operating the corridor. This peer exchange resulted in the development of the Coalition. A summary report of the peer exchange, which was sponsored by the FHWA-FTA Transportation Planning Capacity Building (TPCB) Planning Program, is available online.

The I-10 Corridor Coalition aims to harmonize operations and coordinate improvements to reduce friction and enhance reliability of freight and passenger movement along the corridor. The collaboration allows the four State DOTs not only to share expertise and resources, but also to reap the benefits of economies of scale and develop best practices as they improve the reliability of the I-10 Corridor. The Coalition also coordinates with six Tribal governments and encourages ongoing intergovernmental dialogue on issues of mutual concern.

The Coalition recently launched its website: https://i10connects.com/home. Visit the website to learn more about the Coalition and its member organizations, read news about the corridor, and access other resources and information.

Pedestrian and bicycle count data are useful to planners and engineers to analyze patterns; identify deficiencies in the transportation system; evaluate the impacts of projects; and inform future design, planning, and maintenance decisions. While FHWA has developed guidelines on non-motorized transportation and provides technical considerations for bicycle and pedestrian count programs in the 2013 Traffic Monitoring Guide (www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/travelmonitoring.cfm), collecting and analyzing bicycle and pedestrian data can present challenges to state and local agencies unaccustomed to handling such data.

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) sets an example as a state DOT providing pedestrian and bicycle count support to local communities. CDOT has used bicycle and pedestrian count data to help make design decisions and inform policy and budget decisions. Local jurisdictions use the data to support infrastructure funding requests from numerous sources. CDOT has a traffic data committee that brings together local agencies from around the state to coordinate on traffic data issues. CDOT used this mechanism to gather motorized and non-motorized counts on off-system roads. CDOT also used the committee to establish a network of partner agencies and disseminate technical guidance to locals for non-motorized monitoring.

The Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) and The Chicago Community Trust partnered in 2007 on an effort to utilize emerging data to track implementation of the region's GOTO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. GOTO 2040 establishes coordinated strategies for the 284 communities that make up the region to address an anticipated population growth of more than 2 million residents by 2040.

MetroPulse is a tool designed for policy makers, community leaders, media and the general public to gather objective data that can inform their work. The tool filters out noise that too much data can provide and focus on select indicators to monitor GOTO 2040 implementation. These indicators include livability, human capital, efficient governance and regional mobility. MetroPulse includes narrative analyses and visuals for indicators that are of significance to a broad community of users and are aligned with the priorities of GO TO 2040 and The Chicago Community Trust. MetroPulse also provides tables, charts, maps, and "snapshot" data reports on the City of Chicago's 77 community areas and on municipalities across the 7-county Chicago Metropolitan Area. To close the gap on user data needs, the site will provide categorized links to data from trusted sources selected by CMAP and The Chicago Community Trust.

The "Merrimack Valley Priority Growth Strategy" (PGS), a roadmap for the future of the 270 square mile area, is the first Master Plan to be developed for the region in over 30 years.
The Plan discusses the common challenges of the region such as traffic congestion, bridge and roadway conditions, and the need for affordable housing for our children and young families. Another major challenge is the loss of control over municipal financing and the need to encourage growth to finance municipal services, but growth that does not harm the quality of life.

Like a traditional regional Master Plan, the PGS identifies areas most suitable for development, and conversely, areas best left as open space and conservation. Unlike most regional Master Plans, it is built on the input of local planners and community development officials who have identified these areas through a "bottom up" approach that reflects each community's development and conservation priorities. Not only were city and town planners and economic development directors interviewed through an active public outreach process, but all local plans and available studies were reviewed to provide further guidance. These areas were then reviewed and evaluated using 15 measures related to Smart Growth development.

Over 50 Concentrated Development Centers (CDC), areas of existing concentrated development or areas suitable for future high density development are identified. CDC's have been classified as Smart Growth Centers, Centers of Commerce, Business Centers, or Village Centers based on several criteria including density, allowed uses, and highway and public transportation access.

The Strategy also suggests areas that should not be developed in order to preserve the character of the region and to protect environmental resources. It also evaluates the suitability of the regional transportation network to serve the different land-use patterns and recommends smart mobility improvements that will best serve present and future generations.
The Plan embraces the principles of smart growth and sustainability. It articulates a regional vision of promoting growth in the right place, those areas best able to accommodate it and at the same time protect our region's most critical natural resources.

With the help of 17,045 online voters and more than 30 map designers, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has a new system map. In the spring of 2013, the MBTA held a contest inviting graphic designers around the world to help it redesign its system map, which is displayed in transit stations, on vehicles, in print media and online. The initial entries were narrowed down to six after review by the MBTA, academics, planners and cartographers. The finalist maps were then released for public voting for two weeks in September 2013, the winner announced shortly thereafter.

For more information about the TPCB program, please email TPCB@dot.gov.